Vodka

Vodka (wódka in Polish, во́дка in Russian) is a clear, typically colorless distilled liquor. But for insignificant amounts of flavorings, it consists of water and ethanol. Vodka usually has an alcohol content ranging from 35% to 60% by volume. The classic Russian vodka is 40%.

Transparency - Vodka Buy From Art.com

US Federal Regulations require the label to declare the alcohol content of spirits in terms of percentage alcohol by volume (sometimes abbreviated as ABV). However, alcohol content in the US is sometimes also described in terms of degrees proof i.e. double the percentage by volume, so Vodka at 40% alcohol by volume is 80 degrees proof.

History

The origins of vodka (and of its name) cannot be traced definitely, but it is believed to have originated in either Poland or Russia.  Polish historians state that the first written record of vodka occurred in Poland in 1405 in Sandomierz Court Registry - thus the Polish claim to vodka. In the Russian language, the first written usage of the word vodka in an official document in its modern meaning is dated by the decree of Catherine I of Russia of June 8, 1751 that regulated the ownership of vodka distilleries. At the same time, in the Novgorod chronicle in records dated by 1533 the term "vodka" is used in the context leading to the conclusion that it meant herbal alcoholic tinctures. Additionally, in a number of pharmaceutical lists the expressions "vodka of bread wine", "vodka in half of bread wine" was used. 

Recalling that alcohol was long known as a basis for medicines, the above leads to a reasonable suggestion that the term vodka is a noun derived from the verb "vodit'", "razvodit'", translated as "to dilute with water". Hence "vodka of bread wine" is simply a water dilution of a distilled spirit. While the word could be found in manuscripts and in a kind of ancient Russian comics called lubok (pictures with text explaining the plot), it entered the Russian normative language (judging by lexicons) around the middle of 19th century.

Vodka today

What is called "vodka" today, may be distilled from any starch/sugar-rich plant matter—traditionally grain such as rye (rye vodka is generally considered superior to other types) or wheat, but also potatoes, and sometimes even from byproducts of oil refinery or wood pulp processing. Today vodka is produced throughout the world; there are many American producers, and Suntory even produces a vodka in Japan.

A common property of all vodkas, compared to other spirits, is that before any flavouring is added, it is neutralized as far as possible. This is often done by filtering it through charcoal. The idea is to remove everything except pure water and pure alcohol from the liquid. As a result, vodka has a very neutral taste and, if drunk unmixed, does not cause strong hangovers.

Apart from the alcoholic content, vodkas may be classified into two main groups: clear vodkas and flavoured vodkas. From the latter ones, one can separate bitter tinctures, such as Russian Uybileynaya (jubilee vodka) and Pertsovka (pepper vodka).

While most of the vodka exported to the West is unflavored, the various slavic peoples make and drink a wide variety of flavored vodkas which have also become popular in the west. It has been a traditional way to make medicinal and homeopathic remedies. Flavorings include red pepper, ginger, various fruit flavors, vanilla, chocolate (without sweetener), and cinnamon. Ukrainians produce a commercial vodka that includes St John's Wort; Poles and Belarusians sometimes add the leaves of a local grassy plant called bison grass to produce Żubrówka or Zubrovka vodka, with slightly sweet flavor and light amber color. In the Ukraine and Russia, vodka flavoured with honey and chilli pepper (Pertsovka, in Russian, Pertsivka, in Ukrainian) is also very popular.

This tradition of flavoring is also prevalent in the Nordic region, where vodka seasoned with various herbs, fruits and spices is the appropriate strong drink for all traditional seasonal festivities, midsummer in particular. In Sweden alone, there are some forty-odd common varieties of herb-flavored vodka (kryddat brännvin).

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Vodka" and from http://www.white-on.com 

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

white-on - home

Taste of White

[an error occurred while processing this directive]